Individuals with neurologic disease or injury can suffer from disordered genitourinary function. For example, in the majority of individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCIS) spinal reflexes (e.g., external urethral sphincter (EUS) reflexes) can become hyper-responsive to sensory input from the bladder and other pelvic nerves, prevent coordinated bladder-sphincter contraction, and inhibit bladder evacuation, leading to urine retention and increased bladder pressure, which can damage the bladder, the kidneys, or other parts of the urinary tract.
Current clinical standards for treating urethral spasms include intermittent catheterization, sphincterotomy, urethral stents, pudendal nerve transection and/or pudendal nerve block. However, each of these clinical standards is limited by factors, including severe spasticity, poor upper limb function or urinary incontinence. Sacral anterior root stimulation combined with dorsal rhizotomy can combat these factors by abolishing the urethral reflexes that inhibit bladder evacuation. However, dorsal rhizotomy is not widely accepted because it can eliminate residual bowel and sexual functions.